Knee kicker



s. G. Youm 2,876,583

KNEE KICKER March 10, 1959 Filed March 30, 1956 Cl 1 5 Shee s Sheet 2JNW M, oww,ALJZA/ MATTORNEYS March 10, 1959 s. G. YOUNG 2,876,583

KNEE} KICKER Filed March 30, 856 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 LI 3% i; ?I:$

JMVAT TORNEYS.

United States PatentO KNEE KICKER Sidney Geofirey Young, London, EnglandApplication March 30, 1956, Serial No. 575,188

Claims priority, application Great Britain November 22, 1955 3 Claims.(Cl. 45-89) vThis invention relates to a tool for laying carpets andlike purposes, such as that known as a knee kicker which is used tostretch and hold the edge of a carpet while it is being secured to thefioor.

Such tools have previously been constructed from a relatively largenumber of separate constituent parts, including a head member, a spikedgripper plate mounted in such head member, a cushioned pad or anvil, anda central body portion secured separately to the head memher and to theanvil member.

It is a primary object of the invention to provide a construction ofknee-kicker having a minimum number of component parts which are simplyand easily assembled, each individual part being such as to lend itselfto modern economical methods of production.

Another object of the invention is to provide a robust light-Weight andeasily manipulated tool which will stand up to the hard knocks and usagesuch tools are usually subjected to, e. g. being trodden on, droppedonto or kicked about a floor.

A few exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 7

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of one constructional form ofknee-kicker;

Fig. 2 is a partial view of a modification in section of the knee-kickershown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on III-III of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a partial view of a further modification in sec tion of theknee-kicker shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a view partly in section of yet a further modification of theknee-kicker shown in Fig. 1, and

Fig. 6 is a partial section on VI-VI of Fig. 5 showing an alternativearrangement.

Referring now to Fig. 1 of the drawings, the improved tool comprises acast aluminium alloy body consisting of a round tubular portion 1, around bell-mouth or socket 2 at one end, a cup-shaped portion 3 at theother end, and a dividing wall 4 having a cored hole 5. The interior ofthe cup-shaped portion 3 is divided into two parts, an outer rectangularshaped recess 6 to receive the gripper and an inner recess 8 to receivea heavily ribbed cast aluminium adjusting nut 9 having a threaded steelinsert 10. The nut 9 is retained in recess 8 by a retaining plate 11secured by screws passing into the cupshaped portion 3. The gripperconsists of a flat rectangular die-cast alloy plate'7 into which arecast the knurled ends of spikes 12 and the knurled end of a threadedsteel stud 13. A resilient sealing ring 14 is fitted in a peripheralgroove in the gripper plate 7. The lateral walls of the cup-shapedportion 3 adjacent the recess 8 are apertured sufiiciently (see Fig. 5)to allow the nut 9 to be turned by the fingers in order to adjust theamount by which the ends of the spikes project beyond the recess.

The anvil portion of the tool comprises a cast aluminium alloy baseclamping member 15, padding 16, and a flexible leather or plastic cover17 which is secured to t a predetermined distance from the plate.

the base clamping member 15 by a spring steel circular clip 18. Thepadding may be of any suitable material such as, for example, horse hairor moulded sponge rub ber, it being preferred to provide a moulded formof padding which retains its shape for a longer period of use. The cover17 is preferably shaped before attachment to the base clamping member 15by the clip 18 drawing the edges of the cover into a groove 19 in thebase clamping member. The base clamping member carrying the padding andcover is drawn into the socket 2 by means of a nut 20 passing throughhole 5 in the wall 4 and threadably engaged with a tie bolt or stud 21.

The, knee-kicker is assembled in the following order: firstly the anvilis assembled, the cover being stretched over the padding and clipped tothe base clamping member by the clip; secondly the anvil is'fitted andpulled up into the socket by the nut 20 thereby positively securing theedges of the cover, access to the head of the nut being through theempty cup-shaped portion 3. Thirdly, the nut 9 is placed in recess 8 andthe retaining plate secured in place. Fourthly, the gripper plate isoffered to recess 6 and the nut 9 is turned to draw the plate 7 intosaid recess. For this last operation it is convenient to have a pairof-slightly spaced rubber rollers occupying the same horizontal planeand being arranged to rotate in the same direction. The cup-shapedportion in an inverted position is pressed between the two rollers whichrotate the nut while the gripper is being inserted into the recess 6.

This construction of the gripper member presents considerable advantagesover the prior known tools, in which holes are normally drilled in apreformed plate to relatively exact limits as to diameter and angle ofinclination, a spike being driven into each such hole as an interferencefit therein until the end of the spike reaches In this prior method ofconstruction, difficulties were encountered in ensuring that the pointsof all the spikes were initially in a common plane, and in ensuring thatloosening or movement of one or more spikes in the holes drilled in theplate did not take place, resulting in misalignment of their points anddamage to the carpet gripped thereby. These difliculties are obviated bythe improved tool of this invention.

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3 which show a modification of the anviland the body, the centre portion of the body 1a is trough-shaped insteadof being tubular as shown in Fig. 1. Stifiening webs (not shown) areprovided across the trough-shaped portion 1a at regular intervals. Aninwardly projecting rib or corrugation 22 is provided on the interiorsurface of the socket end 2a which co-operates with a peripheral recess23 on the base clamping member 150, the effect of which is further tostretch the cover 17 over the padding 16 as the wedge is pulled into thesocket. v

In this modification a wall 24 having a cored hole 5a is provided at theend of the socket so that only a short tie bolt 21a is required andwhich is conveniently cast into the base clamping member 15a as shown.

As will be readily understood the body of this modified knee-kicker issimply moulded, the parting line of the two moulds coinciding with theedge 25 of the troughshaped portion and the edge 26 of the cup-shapedportion, a very short and simple core being required for moulding theinterior of the socket 211.

Referring now to Fig. 4 which shows a further modification of the anviland body, the central portion 1b of the body is trough-shaped andsimilar to that described with reference to Figs. 2 and 3. The bodyterminates however in an end wall 27 having a radial extension 28. Theanvil consists solely of a moulded rubber pad 16b having a centralrecess 29 into which the end of the body Patented Mar. 10, 1959 3 ispressed, the wall 27 and extension 28 fitting into a suitable recess inthe pad 16b.

The moulding of the body; is thus further simplified, requiring no loosecore members. The anvil is also in its simplest possible form, it beingpreferred however to mould it in two layers e. g. an inner essentiallycushioning portion, and an outer, stronger and coloured portion, thusproviding an integrally moulded cover and padding.

Referring now to Figs. 5 and 6 which show a further modification of theknee-kicker shown in Pig. 1 and a modified detail thereof respectively,the body comprises a round tubular steel portion is about one end ofwhich is cast the cup-shaped portion 3. Radial holes 29 into which themetal of portion 3 flows during casting, firmly lock the steel tube 1cto the cup-shaped end portion 3.

The anvil is a moulded rubber pad 16c having a disc-' shapedstrengthening plate 30 moulded therein and a hole 31 which is such as totightly grip the sides of the tubularportion 1c.

When it is desired to provide the strengthening plate in the anvil 16sas a separate part, it is preferably divided into two halves 30a and 30b(see Fig. 6) so that they may be inserted into the pad 160 aftermoulding.

A core rod is inserted into the tube 1c which is then placed into arecess provided in the mould, the metal being cast around the end of thetube but being prevented from flowing down the tube by the core rod. Itis thereby possible to reduce greatly the size of the mould which if foruse in a die-casting machine, greatly reduces the cost of the mould andalso requires a very much smaller machine than would be required if thebody of the other forms of knee-kicker described were to be die-cast. I

The improved construction of knee-kicker according to the invention thusprovides a tool having the minimum number of constituent parts of adesign such as to facilitate ready mass production thereof byconventional methods, and simple assembly of the constituent parts toform an economical and efficient tool.

I claim:

1. A knee kicker comprising an elongated and integrally cast hollowmetal body having a socket at one end which is coaxial with thelongitudinal axis of said body; a padded anvil secured in said socketand including a base clamping member, a body of padding and a flexiblecover overlying said base clamping member and extending over the body ofpadding, said cover being gripped around its periphery between opposedsurfaces of said socket and said base clamping member; and a clipextending over the cover and around the inner portion of the baseclamping member to additionally secure the cover to the base clampingmember,

2. A knee kicker according to claim 1, wherein said clip is located in-aperipheral groove in said base clamping member.

3. A knee kicker comprising an elongated and bite grally cast hollowmetal body having a socket at one end which is coaxial with thelongitudinal axis of said body; a padded anvil secured in said socketand including a base clamping member, a body of padding and a flexiblecover overlying said base clamping member and extending over the body ofpadding, said cover being gripped around its periphery between opposedsurfaces of said socket and said base clamping member; and a clipextending over the cover and around the inner portion of the baseclamping member to additionally secure the cover to the base clampingmember, said socket being provided with an internally projecting ribwhich forces a portion of the cover into a peripheral recess on saidbase clamping member whereby the cover is caused to stretch when thebase clamping member is secured in the socket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,635,510 Tevander July 12, 1927 1,821,182 Hoppes Sept. 1, 19312,184,019 Owens Dec. 19, 1939 2,606,743 Owens Q. Aug. 12, 1952 2,631,403Hopkins Mar. 17, 1952 2,714,274 Hill Aug. 8, 1955

